Every Night Is Another Story
by MorrisGrad09
Summary: Murder...mystery....mayhem. Kate Beckett and Rick Castle have navigated all of the above while sidestepping their growing attachment. What happens to the present when the past is revisited, and can the status quo stay the same? will update summary soon
1. Fireflies

Title: _**Every Night is Another Story**_

Summary: Just a random plot that came up in a dream one night. Not quite sure where this one will go yet; just wanted to get this 'teaser' up to see what you guys thought. Hopefully, I'll be able to work on an outline tomorrow. It's not really 'M' yet, but it will go there.

Note: This chapter is kind of a trip. At least, at 12:05 AM and after a full day of work, it's kind of a trip. You guys can decide for yourself

* * *

_Chapter 1: Fireflies_

The light from the small candle illuminated a dim path in the apartment for the occupant to make her way to the kitchen to dig out a flashlight from her tool drawer. "Come on, I know you're in here." She grumbled.

The occasional blackout during New York City summers had turned into near-constant rolling blackouts when temperatures reached 90 degrees or over, but it had actually rained that day - and rained hard. In celebration, she'd thrown open all of her windows, unplugged all the fans and turned off the air conditioner in her apartment.

"Ah ha!" Grabbing the black Maglite from the drawer, she flipped it on in enough time to grab her cell phone as it started to ring. "Hey you!" She said excitedly. "What's up?" She started scanning the floor for the book she dropped when the power went out. "Here? Not a whole lot. The stupid power is out again. And it rained today!"

She grinned as she spied the red, white, and black book cover on the floor, and was careful not to hit her head as she bent down to reach it. "I was reading; finally got a day off from work." She said, using the flashlight to find her page again. "I won't lie to you. I'm reading it again. But, I should probably walk around though and light some more candles in case the power doesn't come on for a while. Text you later?" She asked. "Okay. Bye."

While she'd been in the drawer for the flashlight, she'd seen a lighter stick, and in short order, she'd lit the candles around the living room and returned to her book. Light from the candles reflected off all the mirrors and glass in the room, giving off nearly enough for her to turn off the flashlight.

*****

She woke on the couch a few hours later to the late night news, blinking sleep out of her eyes and trying to focus on her watch. "Oh boy." She said to herself, trying to find a bookmark. "I need to head to bed if I have any hope of waking up tomorrow morning."

Shuffling through the halls of her apartment, she arrived at her closet and started rummaging around for pajamas and what she would wear to work the next day. What she didn't expect was the arm. It appeared from the closet and pulled her under before she could blink, think, or even scream.

* * *

So, it's pretty much just a teaser. Fair warning now, chapters on this one may be a little slow in coming. My fiancee is coming home from Kuwait and we've got to work on wedding plans, I'm moving to be closer to him, and then there's looking for a new job. Thanks, and reviews of any kind are always appreciated!


	2. Next Go Round

Okay! Now, we're going to get into the _Castle _of this Castle story. Thanks for the reviews on chapter 1, you guys!

Spoilers for Tick, Tick, Tick and Boom to follow!

Chapter 2: Next Go Round

Kate Beckett woke with a start, gasping for breath as the images in her mind melted away to reveal the bedroom of her East Village apartment. This time of the year; her dreams always began differently, but they ended the same.

The red letters of the clock on her beside formed to read 4:17, and she knew sleep was going to be hard to come by in the next two hours before her alarm was set to wake her up. She rose out of bed and entered her kitchen, rustling through the cupboards to make coffee.

_The multi-colored lights flashed off the walls, mirroring the beat of the music as the group of Columbia freshmen danced together on the crowded floor of the Soho nightclub. Katie Beckett was in the middle of the group; her arms wrapped around the neck of a junior in her Russian class. They were kissing off and on, her mind swirling with the alcohol she'd been swigging from his drinks…_

As the smell of the espresso permeated her senses, she shrugged off the distant memory. Coming from a good, New York family with money had turned her into a party-girl, future Manhattan socialite in the making, until THE night.

_"You know your mom, Katie." Jim Beckett said as the cab pulled around the drive. "She probably got caught up in something at the office."_

_She sat next to her father in the cab, rolling the hem of her dress between her index finger and thumb absentmindedly. "It's weird she didn't answer her phone, though. She always answers her phone."_

_They walked up to their loft, where they were met by four men; the lead man flashing a New York City Police Department badge. "James Beckett?" He asked._

_"Yes, that's me. And this is my daughter, Katie. What's this about?"_

_"I'm Detective Raglan of the 34th Precinct." He gestured towards the door of the loft. "Can we come in?"_

She'd couldn't remember how Raglan broke the news to them. She'd tried when she had to tell the family of the victim of her first case, but instead she'd delved into her own story and all she could remember was rambling for a while.

Beckett hated coming up on the anniversary of her mother's death. It brought up too many memories that she would have rather forgotten; the images of her mother after the murder, nearly losing herself to solving the mystery, and the party-girl image she dumped while changing her entire life.

After grabbing the paper from outside the door, she sat by one of her windows with it and the coffee, looking out at the East Village. Castle had thought she was crazy to go back here after her first apartment had been blown up by a serial killer obsessed with Nikki Heat, but she had fallen in love with the neighborhood. She was a New York girl through and through, growing up and going to museums, plays, musicals, and experiencing the culture. The village was an explosion of that culture, and she thrived on it.

As she worked through the book section of the Ledger and her second cup of coffee, her cell phone rang from its charging cradle. Sighing at seeing a number for the precinct on the caller I.D, she answered. "Beckett."

College information and applications from Columbia, Harvard, Dartmouth and Cornell littered the kitchen island at the Castle house as Alexis was awake early that morning to prepare for what students called 'Ivy Day' at Marlowe.

"And here I thought I was going to wake up early to surprise you with pancakes." Castle said as he entered the kitchen from downstairs, rubbing his daughter's shoulders. "Nervous about today?" He asked.

"Just wanted to go over my apps again." She said with a smile. The interviews she had today didn't frighten her as much as telling her father what she had decided to major on while in college. "I think I've settled on Columbia." She said. "And I figured out what I want my major to be."

"Really?" What did you chose?" He asked, starting to assemble the ingredients for the pancakes.

"Psychology and Sociology."

He kissed the top of her head. "I'm proud of you." He said with a smile.

"There's more." She said. "I want to eventually focus on something like Criminal Justice. Ever since that madman went after Kate last year and blew up her apartment, the whole world has seemed different. You still write, but it's different. The same with me. Being a detective like Kate is something I haven't ruled out of my life yet."

He blinked, not sure how to react. The Nikki Heat serial killer had made him even more aware that Beckett's job was a dangerous and deadly one. The only thing that broke his silence was the familiar ringing of his 'Beckett' ringtone. "We'll talk, okay?"

She nodded as he answered the phone, going back to her applications.

"Hold the elevator!"

Beckett stuck an arm out to stop the progression of the door of the elevator, and was mildly surprised when Castle stepped in after her. "I would have thought you'd be here already. We're not too far from your neighborhood."

"I got distracted." He said, fidgeting and looking at where they were going. "12th floor? Must be somebody loaded." He commented. "The higher up you live, the bigger the apartments get."

She watched him for a few moments, taking note that his fidgeting wasn't stopping. "Spill it, Castle."

"Alexis wants to major in Psychology and Sociology. Focusing eventually on Criminal Justice." Castle said on the elevator ride to the 12th floor. "She said when that guy was going after you last year, she really changed her mind about what she wanted to do with her life. She wants to be a Detective one day." He paused. "Well, she's not ruling it out. But still."

"Really?" Kate asked. "That's why you're on edge?"

He shrugged. "She's my daughter. I mean, you can't tell me you dad wasn't a little freaked when you told him you wanted to be a cop. Especially after what you two had been though with your mother."

"Sure, he was unhappy for a little while, but we made up and mended our relationship. You and Alexis have an incredible relationship going, Castle. You don't want to ruin it because of what she wants to do with her life. And I've seen the way she attacks problems. She'd make an incredible detective."

"You don't sound surprised." He said.

"That's because I'm not. Alexis came to me a few months ago, wanting to talk about what it takes to get to where I am. She wanted my advice, and I gave it to her. She asked me not to tell you until she had made a final decision."

"All she used to want to do was spend her days reading and living at home." Castle said wistfully as the doors opened to the floor.

"She's in a much better place than I was at her age. I really do think she'd make an amazing cop." She told him as they came upon Ryan and Esposito in the hallway.

He touched her arm for a moment, waiting for her to turn around to look at him before speaking again. "Thank you."

"What do we have?" Beckett asked after shooting Castle a small smile and turning back to Ryan and Esposito.

"Vic's name is Rachel Wachfield, 22 and a student at Columbia. Found her ID and credit cards." Esposito said.

"Wachfield? As in," Castle began.

"Thomas the VERY powerful stockbroker. Owns this building, along with a great number of others in the city." Ryan said.

"Is she the one that's always in the tabloids for partying?" Castle asked.

Esposito checked his own notes. "Nope. That would be her twin sister Zoe. Goes to Columbia like Rachel, lives in another one of her father's apartment high-rises. We've reached her parents, but not her sister."

"Well, if Page Six is all it's cracked up to be, she was probably at a club last night." Beckett said. "Send a unit to her apartment, see if she's there. This might be someone trying to get to Thomas. Run the whole family down, starting looking for red flags."

"Lanie's in the apartment waiting for you." Ryan said as he closed his notebook.

Castle let out a whistle as they walked in. "Wow." He said. "Daddy's money sure buys a lot of really nice things."

So, the first chapter was like the first five minutes of the show, where we see our vic for the first time. Woot! Hope you guys liked this after that very short introductory chapter!


	3. One Of Those Girls

AN: Okay, so the site isn't agreeing with how I format my scene breaks. Will figure out a way to fix.

**Chapter 3: One Of Those Girls**

"Well, Thomas Wachfield is the second richest man in New York City." Kate said, scanning the living room. "Look around. Tell me what you see." She told him with a puzzled look on her face.

"Other than being the non-partying twin, she had good taste in books. Looks like she was reading Heat Wave." Castle noted, gesturing to the coffee table.

She raised her eyebrow at him. "Castle. Focus."

"All the candles. One or two is soothing. This many means blackout or date night." He said. "No signs of forced entry on the door."

"Hopefully these sisters shared some stories so we'll be able to figure out if she had a boyfriend." Beckett noted as they went to the end of the hallway where the bedroom was located. "Lanie?" She asked, kneeling down next to her.

"She took quite a beating to the head," Lanie started, using her pen to gesture to set of bruises on her head, "but I found some heavy bruising on her arms as well. Definitely looking for a male suspect. Judging by her body position relative to the closet, I'd say he was in the closet waiting for her."

"You'll run a tox screen when you get her back to the morgue?"

"Tox screen, SART kit, the whole nine yards." She said. "Found the sister yet?"

"We're sending a unit to her apartment to make sure she's there. Thomas is the second richest man in the city, so we're ruling out an attempt to get to him." Beckett told her.

"Beckett." Castle said, looking into the closet. "Look at this." She stood up and followed him to the back, where he pushed aside a rack to reveal a hidden rack. "Pretty outlandish clothes for a girl who deplored her sister's lifestyle, don't you think?"

She eyed the collection of mini-skirts and short dresses, clearly made to be worn out to the clubs, with a wary eye. "Well, it looks like we have a couple of questions to ask Zoe and her parents."

He clasped his hands together with a smile. "We really get to go to the Wachfield compound on Park Avenue? No one gets to go in there."

"Stop talking or I'll leave you here with Lanie."

"I'm as good as zipped." He motioned a zipper running across his lips.

Beckett scoffed as they walked out of the apartment and to the elevator. "I'm going to go back to the Love Shackle one of these days, so when you say that again, I'm actually prepared to do something about it."

* * *

"We should check Tiger Woods' alibi. I mean, New York socialite seems to be his type." Castle paused. "One of his types." He amended as they walked up to the security gate of the Wachfield estate.

"Using that logic, we should check your alibi too." She looked at him with a smile after showing the gate attendent her badge.

"I make it a personal rule to not date anyone who's less than six years older than Alexis. Gets very creepy." He said in return. "This place is a palace. I've heard that Thomas doesn't even leave anymore."

"Paranoid or egotistic?"

He shrugged as she rung the bell. "I've heard both."

A middle-aged woman in a maid outfit answered the door. "May I help you?"

Beckett flashed her badge. "Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD. I need to speak to Thomas and Rita regarding their daughter, Rachel." She thanked the maid as they entered, pausing in the entry as they were summoned.

The pair didn't have to wait long, as the reclusive Thomas Wachfield entered from his private study, and his wife came from the upstairs. Dressed in a pair of slacks, shirt, and tie, Thomas looked old, with a shock of white hair on his head, and he used a cane to walk. Rita, on the other hand, looked like she had a weekly date with one of New Yorks finest plastic surgeons. Her hair was crafted into an elegent style, her face flawless, and not an article of clothing was out of place. "What's this about?" Thomas asked.

"I'm Dectective Kate Beckett, and this is Richard Castle, the novelist. Is there somewhere more private that we can talk?"

* * *

"Is there a reason we're not going anywhere?" Castle asked when they returned to the car, and Beckett didn't start it right away.

"Wasn't that the least bit odd to you?" She asked. "Rita didn't have a hair or piece of clothing out of place. Thomas's hair wasn't combed and his tie was crooked. He's a recluse, but she looks like she goes out daily."

"You want to know what makes him want to never leave, but her leave all the time." Castle said.

"Don't you? You said yourself you don't know if it was because of his ego or paranoia. I think we need to talk to him when Rita's not there."

"Rita scared me."

Beckett laughed as she started up the car. "We'll put Ryan and Esposito on Rita-duty from now on."

Good news met them when the returned to the precinct. Zoe Wachfield had been found, alive and safe in her apartment, and according to her statement, she hadn't talked to her sister in a week. They'd had a fight about the man Zoe was dating, and that had drove a wedge between them.

"She was clueless about the outfits." Beckett said to herself.

"What's that?" Castle asked, setting a coffee on the desk.

"According to Ryan's notes, when asked directly, Zoe was clueless about Rachel's stash of party outfits. But, she then went on to say that she Rachel herself had started seeing a guy who'd been buying her clothes."

"This is so going to be the plot for my next book."

"We went ahead a got an order for a drug test on Zoe Wachfield." Esposito said as he and Ryan walked back into the bullpen. "It was pretty obvious that she was coming off of something, and she couldn't remember anything about last night."

"We were just reading your notes." Castle said. "We saw the parents. It's a wonder those girls turned out the way that they did with those two for a mother and father."

"When are we going to have the results on Zoe's drug test?" Beckett asked.

"Lab is backed up. It's going to be tomorrow." Ryan said, hanging up his phone. "We've got Rachel's Facebook page, and we're looking for this mysterious guy that she was apparently seeing."

"Run everybody in the Wachfield family. And how far away are we on cell phone records for Rachel?"

Castle was clicking through her e-mail inbox. "An hour." He answered.

Beckett blew out a breath. "Castle and I are going to head up to Columbia, and talk to her Professors. Keep us updated."

* * *

_Ending note: Updates are still going to be slow, but thanks guys for hanging in there! I plan on going in some interesting directions with this story, so I hope it'll be worth it :)_


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